Cherish Lake | Contributing Writer
Miami public transportation is an issue that is long overdue for a solution. In a city that heavily depends on cars and streets to go from place to place, it’s not too much to ask for other transportation options.
Miami is not a pedestrian-friendly city with its sidewalks too close to the street and not enough crosswalks to compensate for long walks. And let’s not talk about the issue with bikes and electric scooters.
The Metrorail is a prime example of an attempt at public transportation, and it’s done decently enough. It runs from Dadeland South to Palmetto with stops at the airport and the government city center. The Metromover is a smaller version of the Metrorail that runs in Brickell and Downtown Miami.
While these options are great for tourists and people living in Downtown Miami, there’s an obvious lack of options for Miami-Dade residents— and what they do have isn’t much.
For a commuter school like FIU, it struggles heavily with convenient public transportation. With an increase in freshmen, the bus that takes students from MMC to BBC and vice versa becomes full quickly. Row after row, seat after seat the bus is full causing students to be late or just barely on time for their classes.
Then there are Freebees which are mediocre at best. There are too many students and too few cars. The wait time for one can be as little as five minutes to an hour or more. So while Freebees may seem great on paper, they’re average in practice.
Public buses are a better option for students than Freebees but it’s not easy. Multiple buses start and end at FIU’s south terminal, with most driving down Miami-Dade’s busiest streets. This is great for students who need to go places farther from campus, they’ll just have to plan accordingly.
Although slower than the average car, it’s a great alternative to using gas on our own cars— especially at these prices.
If it’s your first time on a public bus, trying and understanding how everything works with little to no help can be nerve-wracking. And even if you do know how it works, Google Maps could be wrong about the bus you’re supposed to take and the route taken.
Miami has a problem, and it’s slated around cars. In a car-centric society, it’s easy to overlook public transportation for convenience.
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